22 NOV
THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
07 7
Statement by Prime Minister of Belize
Hon. John Briceño November 18, 2020
On Monday, we had our first Cabinet meeting under my administration. At this meeting, we received several briefings on matters of urgent priority. One of which was the state of the government finances and the overall economy. While in Opposition we had railed against the mismanagement and corruption of the past UDP government that you rightly and soundly rejected at the polls. The magnitude of the mismanagement was verified by the technocrats from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Belize. These technocrats jointly expressed that the government has been functioning with unsustainable fiscal and debt positions. The presentations to Cabinet revealed that Central Government revenues have fallen by over 166.8 million dollars or by 24.9 percent. This is far worse than we had anticipated. Government has been borrowing to meet the monthly wage and pensions bill and other current expenses to the tune of around 30 million dollars per month. As a result, central government’s debt has jumped from 97.7 percent of GDP to 132.9 percent of GDP. In simple terms, the UDP government maxed out the credit card. We do not earn enough to pay our bills. We have more than doubled the internationally accepted debt to GDP threshold and the 2nd highest in the Caribbean. This is unsustainable. Cabinet also received a presentation from the Director of Health Services on the Covid-19 pandemic. We were shocked to learn that there is no real plan to contain the spread of the virus. Cabinet instructed the Minister of Health to meet with his technical team and advisors to develop a comprehensive plan to address the spread of this virus. The plan will he presented to Cabinet at its next meeting on Tuesday. While we expected it to be bad, the depths of mismanagement are truly scandalous. In addition to the presentation from the Minster of Health and Wellness, the Minister of Infrastructure, Development and Housing and the Minister for Sustainable Development, Climaye Change and Disaster Response Management will be preparing reports and assessment for our next Cabinet meeting. This will put us more in an informed position as we move forward diligently and deliberately to restore confidence in our government and our economy. We are committed to turning things around and to using all our collective knowledge, skills, know-how and creativity to do so. According to the constitution of Belize, all CEO appointments are made by his Excellency the Governor General acting upon the advice of the Prime Minister. To date, no CEO has been appointed. At the next Cabinet meeting, I will discuss with Cabinet the team of CEOs that will be responsible for the implementation of planBelize. As a nation, we are dealing with a number of issues including rising numbers of infections and deaths by the coronavirus, thousands of Belizeans that have been affected by two storms, and increasing unemployment. I call on all Belizeans to please stay safe and work together as we start the process of restoring our lives and nation. I thank you.
Message for Garifuna Settlement Day Prime Minister of Belize
Hon. John Briceño November 19, 2020
Friends, family and fellow Belizeans. Every year I look forward to going down to Dangriga to for the Uremei and to experience our wonderful Garifuna culture. This year things are different and we cannot gather together. Of course, we can still take the time to once again pay homage to and celebrate our Garifuna brothers and sisters. History tells us that Garinagu people are of grit and continuity. Their beliefs, customs and culture have withstood some of the greatest challenges the world has ever seen. And yet, here we are today preserving this great culture for generations to come. I like this year’s theme, ‘Garinagu, United and Strong, moving forward despite the challenges.’ I like it because it is a testament to the endurance of the Garinagu. As a nation, we can all embrace this mind-set during a time of such unprecedented uncertainty. Challenges will arise and seek to throw us off course but together we can overcome anything So as we celebrate, please stay safe, let us keep the health of our fellow Belizeans in mind. I know we will all miss lining the streets to watch the parades and dance to the heartbeat of the Garifuna drums. But those festive events will soon return and when they do, we will celebrate together. To Belizeans all across the nation let’s take care of each other by practicing physical distancing, wearing facemasks, and keeping good hygiene. Happy Garifuna Settlement Day! Seremei
